2019 Free Agency Thread

[pbmax]

Mack was the solution, methinks. Draft picks are coin flips and the cap can always be cooked. Coulda been Reggie White all over again had Gute ponied up and done the deed.

Ask Jerry how his cooked cap situation worked out with HIS defense. He shed players faster than Sherman pursuing Na’il Diggs.

[pbmax]

whats crazy is how many high draft picks we've blown on defense over the years

we sure has hell can't draft defensive guys, need to sign some free agents

That is the $64,000 question. What is wrong with their process on D?

But I think it’s exacerbated by decisions that look much worse in retrospect. Each makes sense on its own timeline but put together it made a mess.

Being wrong about the viability of both Randall and Rollins helped ruin the backend.

[pbmax]

Chad Kelly, dipshit nephew of HoF Jim Kelly was back in court for a trespassing charge. John Elway, GM of the Damned, sighed Chad after being assured by his uncle Jim that he was a good upstanding boy who would never cause an ounce of trouble despite having a fairly long list of offenses in college.

Nicky Jhabvala
Per TMZ, former Broncos QB Chad Kelly was back in court today and entered a plea of not guilty to felony trespassing, stemming from the incident after Von Miller’s Halloween party last year. His next hearing is April 23, according to the Arapahoe County Court docket.

[pbmax]

Ravens cut Eric Weddle. Every safety is available in FA and the Packers will spend $17 mil per year on Trey Flowers or Justin Houston.

[Bretsky]

Ravens cut Eric Weddle. Every safety is available in FA and the Packers will spend $17 mil per year on Trey Flowers or Justin Houston.

They need to grab one of the safeties as well IMO

[wist43]

They need to grab one of the safeties as well IMO

Adrian Amos... it's a double win b/c wr sign a top flight player from a division rival.

[call_me_ishmael]

I love me some Eric Weddle.

[call_me_ishmael]

https://twitter.com/DanGrazianoESPN/status/1103065962583068672

Earl Thomas, Landon Collins, Eric Weddle and Tryann Mathieu are free agents. My goodness. Anyone need a safety?

My first thought: Is safety becoming a less important position where teams are wisening up and realizing the franchise tag esque money is way too high and the production isn't worth it? 12M does seem to be an awful lot for a safety.

[Bretsky]

https://twitter.com/DanGrazianoESPN/...65962583068672



My first thought: Is safety becoming a less important position where teams are wisening up and realizing the franchise tag esque money is way too high and the production isn't worth it? 12M does seem to be an awful lot for a safety.

CB is to SAFETY at OFFENSIVE TACKLE is to OFFENSIVE GUARD

[call_me_ishmael]

Right I know, but the real question is what was going on that the cap number and average payout got so high anyway? I think we can all agree a stud QB is gonna get paid, stud LT, stud edge, etc. But how did the top 5 average salary for a safety get to 14M to begin with and what changed to give teams so much pause at that number that they didn't have 2-3 years ago? My theory - QB and other premium salaries are growing much faster than the cap and teams need to keep the other positions cheaper.

[Deputy Nutz]

The Packers always do a nice job at drafting the next wide receiver before they are needed. They have failed to do this on defense and on the offensive line. Its not all their fault but most of it is. The Packers have just recently started trading players for draft picks, which I like to see. Getting rid of Clinton-Dix was a great move for a 4th round pick. He wasn't part of the future and his play bottomed out. The Packers have to be quicker to cut or trade away players that aren't working out, and then turn around and find other suitable players and trade away picks as well. Draft picks are like silver dimes in the apocalypse, no matter the round they are more valuable than current NFL starters. The Cardinals are trading away Josh Rosen who they traded up for in last years draft. It stupid but they will lose their ass and maybe get a late first round pick for a QB that has the potential to be the number 1 QB in this year's draft.

They have to stop trying to win with tape and band aids and get back to building a fluid roster of NFL talent.

[Fritz]

I think you're right, Nutz - I think we, too, have to give up our hopes that if they just sign those one or two big-name free agents, the Packers will be in the Super Bowl. This requires trusting that Gutekunst can find the talent to replace the names we're familiar with, and understanding that just because you've heard of someone, that doesn't mean the player is automatically going to be good. Sure, past performance can be one indicator, but lots of the free agents have injury histories or are getting older. I'm not arguing against signing free agents - it is a tool - but your point that the Packers (and their fans) have to be okay with changing the roster with newer, unknown players is a good one.

[Deputy Nutz]

Packers again caught in the same cycle as they were in in the early 2000s, they have a hall of fame QB that can still play at a high level but the clock is ticking, the QB is getting impatient, and so is the fan base. They are a rebuild process with a new GM and new coach and people are already making demands of a Super Bowl. Not an easy position to be in.

[pbmax]

Cardinals will be lucky to get a second. Most early comments are teams will offer a third rounder.

I do wonder how many players are in a position to nab a team draft picks. Dix is young and on his first contract, so he was cheap and Washington was dumb. Even then a first round player netted a fourth. Belichick somehow kept trading pass rushers for picks and getting away with it. Though people were complaining about their pass rush for the last couple of years and now Flower might walk.

But I agree you need to do this if you are going to sign any number of FA because you are not getting compensation picks back. If not for two trades, the Packers would have basically their normal allotment of draft picks. That sounds fine, but they need talent and the more picks the better their chances.

They normally were deep at WR but they missed the reload cycle this time by a year or two. Adams being on board saved them to some degree, but Cobb and Allison weren't available. The young ones were probably too raw. Then Graham did not help much.

I am mostly worried about talent and depth on defense. I think the offense is going to be OK. Lucas Patrick will be the right guard. They need to sort out RT and a third WR. Depth is a must, but that is what the draft is for.

On defense they need immediate help AND depth and its clear either is on the roster at this point.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

It's a smart move for a team with a QB on a rookie deal to go all in once they realize they are one star player from having a shot. The Packers making such a move would have had to pay Mack once acquired, lose draft picks, which as you said are hard to predict, but still needed for a team that is not K-Mack from the Super Bowl (see offensive struggles last year). Then you have (for the moment) the highest paid offensive and defensive players in the league, some nice players and perhaps not a lot of room left to build a roster. You could do it, but it's a risky move if one of them gets hurt.

Add Mack to a mediocre D that includes the likes of Clark, Daniels, Martinez, Alexander, King and perhaps even the Claymaker, and trust me, that D would be good enough, if not great.

The Packers haven’t had a wrecking ball of a pass rusher since McCarthy idiotically moved the Claymaker to ILB. Are you tired of complaining about the lack of consistent pass rush? Mack was the answer.

Only Zeus knows the fates of draft picks, although the math says that the majority of them won’t pan out. Better off with the sure thing in Mack than the draft picks that the math says will more often than not turn out to be Justin Harrells than Macks.

As for the O, it could use another hotshot receiver, but it’s not like the German Shepherd is gonna trade for OBJ. Hook the Great Arm of Butte up with another Asian chick and the O will be fine.